Thinking his enemy fatally weakened – Leslie finally offered battle. Penned in with their backs to the sea, the New Model Army was outnumbered by 2:1 but, rather than evacuate or abandon his men, on dawn on September 3, shouting biblical quotations, Cromwell attacked.
The Scots were surprised but at first repulsed the English advance. Cromwell arrived with reserves, and his veteran infantry advanced across a narrow bridge at push of pike. As his cavalry broke, Leslie’s army was rolled up, driven onto broken ground, and penned in between a hill and a ravine.
The battle was over in an hour—fewer than 100 English died yet the Scots lost 3,000 killed & about 6,000 were taken prisoner. Prisoners were then force-marched to Durham, and those that survived were locked up in the cathedral where even more died. The remainder were sent into indentured servitude.
While Cromwell saw such a stunning victory as proof of God's favour, Dunbar did much to seal his rise to political power. Exactly a year later, Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester dealt the final blow to any hope of Charles II gaining his crown militarily.
Brilliant thread! The facts, with captivating true drama